http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/news/arti...t=.jsp&c_id=balQUOTE
BALTIMORE -- The Orioles lost a member of two dwindling factions in their clubhouse Monday, when they dealt veteran power hitter Aubrey Huff to the Tigers for pitching prospect Brett Jacobson. The trade represented Baltimore's second deal since the non-waiver Trade Deadline, and it worked in concert with the previous move.
Andy MacPhail, Baltimore's president of baseball operations, said he acquired first baseman Rhyne Hughes from Tampa Bay last week with the thought that Huff might move at the end of August. Things progressed quicker than he anticipated, though, and MacPhail said his team matched up particularly well with Detroit.
"I think it has more to do with the status that he's going to be a free agent in six weeks," MacPhail said of Huff. "There are a couple benefits. ... First, you put the player in a situation where he goes to a first-place team in a potential pennant drive. From a purely self-interest standpoint, this is probably the time where you can get a prospect from a club. They're trying to get every piece they can, because a game or two might make all the difference."
Huff, who has hit .253 with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs this season, was caught off guard by the news. The slugger said he didn't know what had happened until he was called into the manager's office and saw MacPhail sitting there. Huff also said the move to a contending team could help him reverse a disappointing season.
"I've been in last place basically my whole career, so this is an exciting time," he said before touching on his tenure in Baltimore. "I'm real close to a lot of staff and especially a lot of players on this team. It's definitely emotional. Seeing guys come up, I've had a great time with the young guys. ... At the same time, for me, it's really exciting."
The trade has several implications for the Orioles, who will test Luke Scott at first base in Huff's absence. That development will allow Baltimore to play Nolan Reimold at designated hitter and Felix Pie in left field, and it also could hasten the promotion of first base prospects like Hughes, Brandon Snyder and Michael Aubrey.
For now, though, it rips one of the few extra-base threats out of the heart of the lineup. Huff was named Most Valuable Oriole last season, and he also earned the American League's Silver Slugger Award for his work as a DH. Now, manager Dave Trembley has to find a new bat to help protect Adam Jones and Nick Markakis.
"It's always tough to lose somebody in the middle of the lineup, but you understand that's part of the game and you do the very best you can," said Trembley. "Huff was well liked by the young players. I'm sure, in some regards, it's an education for them that this is what happens. Huff gets an opportunity to go do something for himself.
"He gets to go play in a pennant race and maybe rejuvenate himself offensively, make himself even more attractive in the offseason, because he's a free agent. On the other hand, you take a veteran guy like that out of the clubhouse, and there's a lot of young kids in there that he had a very good rapport with."
And if you take the deal at face value, it could introduce even more youth to the clubhouse. The Orioles acquired Hughes last week as the player to be named later in a deal for backup catcher Gregg Zaun, and MacPhail did not try to distance one trade from the other. In fact, he admitted that the two were closely related.
"Right now, Rhyne is going to report to [Triple-A] Norfolk. We really haven't had a chance to see him that often -- or to have him with us at all, at the present time," he said. "But, obviously, one of the ideas about getting Rhyne Hughes is that I anticipated there would be a market for Aubrey at the end of the month. I didn't realize it was going to be quite this soon. I thought it was to be around Aug. 29th or 30th when [contending teams] send a pitcher out and they go out to get a position player. The Tigers' interest was demonstrated earlier than that."
The Orioles had considered keeping Huff and offering him arbitration after the season, but MacPhail said the veteran's performance this year impacted that decision. And with the team looking at the possibility of losing Huff without compensation, MacPhail warmed to the idea of acquiring another strong arm in return.
Jacobson, a fourth-round pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, has gone 1-3 with a 3.74 ERA and six saves for Class A Lakeland. MacPhail said his scouts have seen Jacobson, who will be assigned to Class A Frederick, throw as hard as 96 mph. Dave Dombrowski, Detroit's president and general manager, gave a high-level analysis of his skills.
"He has a good arm. He's got good stuff," said Dombrowski of the 22-year-old right-hander. "He's done a solid job out of the bullpen. He's not a guy we would like to give up, but considering we're getting a quality middle-of-the-lineup guy, we had to give up something to get him. I think he's got a shot to pitch in the big leagues."
Huff, who began his career in Tampa Bay's organization, said the Orioles have begun to put together an impressive assembly of talent. He also said he'd consider re-signing with Baltimore as a free agent.
When asked if the Orioles can contend at some point in the near future, he gave an interesting answer.
"No doubt in my mind," Huff said. "This is probably the best young talent I've been around, and I've been around some young talent in my days with Tampa. I've always said those are some of the best guys I've seen come up: Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli. If you ask me, I'd say these guys are more talented. You got an All-Star in Adam Jones and a superstar in Nick Markakis that nobody knows about. [Brian] Matusz, [Chris] Tillman, all these young guys coming up. It's a very exciting time here, and Baltimore should have a lot to look forward to."
In the Orioles defense, he was gonna go at the end of the season. But they got a bad prospect for him, i thought they could get a mid level one for him...
Orioles trade Huff to Detriot
Aug 18 2009, 12:58 PM
